Propeller



A. T. KASLEY.

PROPELLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.3I. 917

Patented Mar. 22. 1921.

INVENTOR.

U1TE PA ENT orr es.

ALEXANDER 'r. KrisL' eY, or swIssvALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ieissreruoa 'ro 'wnsrmef HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING con rary, A CORPORATION .orr NNs VAN IA.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER T. KAsLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Propellers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to propellers and has for an object to produce a new and improved propeller especially adapted to be employed in driving torpedoes.

A further object is toproduce a folding propeller which may be employed in apparatus where it is desired'to attimes decrease the amount of space occupiedby the propeller. s

A further object is to produce a folding propeller which will automatically unfold ,and'assume an operative position when it is rotated or when it strikes thewater. These. and otherobjects are attained by means of a propeller herein described and illustrated in. the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof. V 'In the drawings: Figure l is a diagrammatic view, partly in section,;of a propeller embodying my invention: p

Fig. 2 is anend view of the movable blade shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a pair of propellers in the folded position as carried by a torpedo in passing througha torpedo tube, and, in the dotted lines, in'the unfolded operative position. v

It is impractical to provide a torpedo with a keel, or to so-lower the center of gravity that the torpedo will not rotate when driven by a'single impeller. Thereforetorpedoes have commonly been provided with two propellers-operating about thesame axis and. in opposite directions. This construction necessitates the use of hollow shafts and other expensive/parts. .Furthe'armore,v it is necessary to provide a rudder supporting structurearound the propellers which limits their size "and consequently their effective area. .while in my invention the total effective blade area may be considerably increased, with acorresp'onding increase in the speed; of the torpedo. Y 1

The use of two propellers operating about different axes has been objectionable because they project sidewisefbeyond the'body of the'torpedo, ifthey are of a reasonable size, and therefore they cannot pass through the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 31, 1917. Serial No. 158,867.

PROPELLER.

Patented Mar. '22, 1921,

torpedo tube. This difficulty is overcome in. I

my invention by providing each impeller.

with a folding blade which enablesthe torpedo to be passed through'the tube andwhich will automatically open ,out and assume an operative position as soon as the torpedo clears the tube or strikesthe water. In my invention each propeller operates in undisturbed water and therefore at thevhighest efficiency. With theold construction the maximum speed of a torpedo has beenlimited bytthe inefiicient propellersand their limited area, but as this'discrepancy has been overcome by my invention, the speed may be increased considerably. The two propellers when unfolded operate in the same manner as those of a twin screw ship and are therefore capable of the same high efficiency. 7

. In Fig. 1, I have 'illustrated'a propeller shaft 5 carrying on its outer end a propeller embodying my invention. As shown, the propeller ls made up of two parts6. and 7. The part 6 comprises a blade 8 and a-hub9. In thisembodiment of my invention the hub 9 is preferably secured tothe propeller shaft bymeans of a keylO. The inner part .Tof

the propeller is, provided with a hub ll' air'd a blade 12. I have shown thishub as provided with threads 13, which engage similar threads 14 on the propeller shaft 5. "The face of the hub 11 adjacent to the hubw9 is provldedwith teeth 15, which are adapted tocengage with similar teeth 16 on the hub 9 and to:lock the movable blade 12 in an operative position. These teeth arealso shown in Fig.2. :1 J"

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated two propellersxin the 'foldedposition as carried by a torpedo while passing through a torpedo tube '17. In order-to prevent the torpedo from rotating inthe water, the two propellers are preferably operated in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows; I. After the torpedo is discharged-from the torpedo tube, the force of the water onthe'movable blades 12 causes them to lag behind: the other blades and to assume the operative po sition indicated by the dotted lines where they are locked by theengagement of the teeth 15 and '16. c

. It is evident that this construction is cheap and easy to manufacture,as no'hollow shafts or complicated parts are necessary. Furthermore, the propeller "is very simple and substantial. Propellers may be constructed so that after the movable blade .12

has 'revolved into the operative position, it

is firmly wedged there by the threads 13 and V 14, so that the propeller is as rigid and chi...

cient as a solidpropeller. 1

WVhil'e I have illustrated and described but one embodiment of myinvention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth by the appended claims; I V V 'LWhELi) I claim is? 1. In a propelling device, a propeller shaft,.a blade rigidly fixed on said shaft,a

blade rotatably mounted .on the shaft, en gaging means carriedby the blades forlinr iting the travel of the rotatable blade and engaging means on the shaftajnd carriedby the rotatable blade for wedging said rotatable blade in place at the limit of its travel.

2. In a propelling device, a propeller 3. A- propeller in winchatleast one blade I is fixed on the propellershaft and a blade'is rotatably mounted on the: propeller shaft,- I

in combination with means for moving the rotatably mounted blade longitudinally of the shaft to a position substantially in the plane of rotation of the fixed blade and a means for limiting the rotation of the rotatable blade with respect to the fixed blade.

4, A propeller in which at least one blade is fixed on the propeller shaft and one blade is rotatably mounted on the propeller shaft, means whereby relative rotary motion between theblades moves the rotatably mounted blade longitudinally along the shaft to a position substantially in the plane of rotation of the fixed blade, and means for holding the rotatable blade against rotation in this position. 5. A propeller in which at least one blade is fixed on the propeller shaft, and one blade is movable with relation to the shaft, a screw threaded connection between the'movable blade and the shaft whereby the blades are moved toward one another by rotation of one of the blades, and means for limiting the relativev rotary'movement. of the blades. 6. 'A propeller in which at least one blade isrfixed 0n the propeller shaft and one is movable relatively of the shaft, a screw thread connectionbetween said "shaft andthe movable blade, and a stop'for limiting the motion of the movable blade relatively to the shaft. V. 1

7. In combination in a propeller shaft, a plurality of propeller blades,at least one of which is circumferentially and longitudinallymovable withrelation to the shaft and gitudinal movement of the movable blade.

v.8. In-combination in a propeller, a plurality' ofvpropeller blades, at least one ofwhich is movable with relation to the shaft, means for causing longitudinal movement of the movable blade when it is rotated relatively to the shaft, and meansfor limiting the longitudinal and rotative movement of the blade.

a Thecombination witha shaft having a fixed propeller blade and a movable blade adapted when in inoperative position to cocupy-a plane of. rotation other than that 00- means limiting the circumferential and loncupied by the fixed blade and in the opera tive position to occupy a plane ofrotation substantially coincident with that of the fixedbla'de, of'means formoving the-movable blade to operative position actuated by relative movement of'the shaft and the movable blade. 7 r

10; In an automobile torpedo having a plurality of propelling devices rotating about different axes; each of said'propelling devices comprising a propeller shaft,a blade rigidly fixed on theshaft, a blade movably' mounted on theshaft, and means automati-Q callymoving the movable blade. into operaeel tive position, whereby the propeller blades may in inoperative positions be contained within the space defined by the. projection of the torpedo body in the directionof its travel and in operative positions extend beyond saidprojection of the torpedo body. 11. In an automobile torpedo having .a plurality V of propelling devices operating about different axes and throughout effective areas extending beyond the space defined by'the projection of the torpedo body in the direction of its travel;.each of said propelling devices comprising a propeller shaft, one ormor'e blades rigidly fixedvon the shaft, a blade rotatably mounted on said shaft, engaging means carried by said blades for limiting the travel of the rotatable blade and engaging means on the shaft and carried byth'e rotatable blade for wedging said rotatable blade in place atthe'limit of its travel.v v r 12. In an automobile torpedo having a plurality of propelling devices operating about different axes and throughoutveffective areas extending beyond the space defined by the projectionof the torpedo body in the direction of its travel; each of said propelling vdevices comprising a propeller shaft, one or mo re blades rigidly fixed on the shaft, a movable iblade, means operatively connecting the movable blade tothe shaft so constructed that by movement of the movable blade'all blades may be confined within the said projection of the torpedo body, and means automatically moving the movable blade into operative position.

13. In an automobile torpedo having a plurality of propelling devices operating about different axes and throughout effective areas extending beyond the space defined by the projection of the torpedo body in the direction of its travel; each of said propelling devices comprising a propeller shaft, one or more blades rigidly fixed on the shaft, a rotatable blade means operatively connecting the rotatable blade to said shaft so constructed that by movement of the rotatable blade all blades may be confined within the said projection of the torpedo body, means for moving the rotatably mounted blade longitudinally of the shaft to an operative position substantially in the plane of rotation of the fixed blade or blades and means for limiting the rotation of the rotatable blade or blades with respect to the fixed blade.

14. In an automobile torpedo having a plurality of propelling devices operating about different axes and throughout effective areas extending beyond the space defined by the projection of the torpedo body in the direction of its travel; each of said propelling devices comprising a propeller shaft, one or more blades rigidly fixed on the shaft, a rotatable blade mounted on the shaft, means whereby relative rotary motion between the blades moves the rotatably mounted blade longitudinally along the shaft to an operative position, substantially in the plane of rotation of the fixed blade or blades, and means for holding the rotatable blade against rotation in this position.

15. In an automobile torpedo having a plurality of propelling devices operatlng about different axes and throughout effective areas extending beyond the space defined by the projection of the torpedo body in the direction of its travel; each of said propelling devices comprising a propeller shaft, one or more blades rigidly fixed on the shaft, a blade circumferentially and longitudinally movable with relation to the shaft, means limiting the circumferential and longitudinal movements of the movable blade, and means for holding the movable blade in operative position;

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day of March,

ALEXANDER T. KASLEY. Witnesses:

C. W. MCGBIEE, e M. B. GoRuoN.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,372,295, granted March 22, 1921, upon the application of Alexander T. Kasley, of Swissvale, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Propellers, .errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 21, claim 13, strike out the words or blades; same page and claim, line 22, after the word blade insert the words or blades; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 3d day of May, A. D., 1921.

[SEAL] T. E. ROBERTSON,

Commissioner of Patents.

Cl. 1l5-37.

Corrections in Letters Patent No. 1,372,2955

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,372,295, granted March 22,

1921, upon the application of Alexander T. Kasley, of Swissvale, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Propellers, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 21, claim 13, strike out the words or blades; same page and claim, line 22, after the Word blade insert the Words 1 or blades; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 3d day of May, A. D., 1921.

[SEAL] T. E. ROBERTSON,

' Commissioner of Patents. 

